Italian -Style sauteed Swiss chard

April 4, 2025
side dishes
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Italian -Style sauteed Swiss chard

Naturally vegetarian, this Italian style sauteed swiss chard is simple to make and you can customize it to fit your taste preferences by adjust the ingredients you use. Have you noticed that most Italian recipes use few ingredients? As a result they are usually farm-fresh, simple high quality ingredients, the signature of Italian cooking.

In this simple recipe for Italian Swiss chard , the chard is first parboiled and then gently sauteed with fresh garlic and hot pepper in olive oil. The result creates an easy side dish or a delicious add in to frittatas, it’s delicious in sandwiches and a perfect to add in ravioli filling.

Things to know about this Italian-style sauteed Swiss chard

Swiss chard is a leafy green vegetable that is part of the beet family. It is also known as spinach beet or silver beet. Known for its vibrant color and slightly bitter, earthy flavor. I usually grow my Swiss chard at home in raised garden beds but if you’re using store-bought it works just as well. When shopping for Swiss chard, look for crisp leaves with vibrant color. Avoid yellow or wilted leaves, these are an indication that the chard is past its prime. Swiss chard is in season late spring and early summer, and is one of those greens that can be found in many Italian gardens and kitchens. Just a heads up , the stems take a little longer to cook then the leaves. After blanching chop the stems and toss them into the pan first, giving them a few extra minutes to cook before adding the leafy parts. That way everything ends up tender and perfectly cooked. Whether home grown or store bought Swiss chard is a great addition to your plates. Serve it along side my easy chicken francese, or my bone-in porkchops piccata for a delicious restaurant quality meal.

If you give this Swiss chard recipe a try let me know if the comments below. THANKS.

Ingredients

1 large bunch rainbow Swiss chard
4 gloves thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 red pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes ( adjust to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
water for blanching

Instructions

Start by cleaning the Swiss chard and removing the tough stems. Wash the chard 2-3 times to remove all of the dirt
In a large stock pot blanch the Swiss chard in salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes, then drain and chop the stems .
In a large saute pan over medium high heat in the olive oil fry the garlic, red pepper and the red pepper flakes, fry until the garlic is crisp and the red peppers fragrant. Then remove the red pepper .
Add the chopped stems first and cook for 3-4 minutes before adding Swiss chard leaves and saute 4-5 minutes to finish cooking the chard and to combine flavors. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with some really good extra virgin olive oil , sprinkle with freshly chopped Italian parsley . ENJOY!!!!